Neil deGrasse Tyson Apologizes for Viral Tweet About Mass Shootings

[saintclaire87]

Following the terrible mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton over the weekend, Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted this:

In the past 48hrs, the USA horrifically lost 34 people to mass shootings.

On average, across any 48hrs, we also lose…

500 to Medical errors
300 to the Flu
250 to Suicide
200 to Car Accidents
40 to Homicide via Handgun

Often our emotions

Comments

[sandstorm]

🤡: "I apologize"

[genbu_no_miko24]

lmao

[dreamerbri]

lol

[x_spinfaster]

lol none of his tweet made any sense. like what does "Often our emotions respond more to spectacle than to data" mean? Is the thesis of his tweet a criticism on people responding to the ~spectacle~ of a mass shooting when there are other things that people die from more frequently...??

I'm hoping that's not what his intention was bc if so, how truly insulting and tone deaf to the lives lost.

[totteringg]

It's insane. He might have a point if he was trying to say something about how the gun violence problem in America is a lot bigger than mass shootings because the same number of people are being murdered in the US with guns on a daily basis in cases that might get 30 seconds on local news if anything and we need to start talking about more than just assault weapons but that wasn't his intent.

[pepsi_twist9]

It doesn't make any sense. Shall we all just stand outside funeral homes shouting people die all the time, how dare you mourn? Like what was the point to be made here?

[unnecessaryhat]

#alldeathsmatter

[tetrazzinichikn]

In the past 48hrs, the USA horrifically lost 1 pseudo-celebrity to insensitive, ignorant tweets.

[sandstorm]

#MilkshakeDuckStrong

[ostriches]

bitch you got bodied by smash mouth

[presidentmlissa]

lmao this is killing me for some reason. Maybe because I’m imagining the ostrich saying it?

[trancexperiment]

Fuck lmao

[yousaidlog]

God this just made me laugh so hard

[richyrich909]

Aaaand trash remains trash. Smh.